Kentucky Women's Book Festival 2025

 

Women’s History Month kicks off at the University of Louisville with the 19th Annual Kentucky Women’s Book Festival on Saturday, March 1, from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm at the Chao Auditorium in Ekstrom Library on the Belknap Campus. Presented by the UofL Women’s Center and University Libraries, the festival will feature authors discussing their works of historical fiction, poetry, fantasy, children’s literature, and other genres.

Online registration will close February 21st at 11:59pm. Registration will be available onsite at the Festival. 

NOTE: All book sales and vendors are approved through the University of Louisville Women's Center only.

The Kentucky Women's Book Festival is a celebration of stories, voices, and ideas that inspire and empower. The festival brings together authors, readers, and community members to engage in meaningful conversations about women's storytelling and the impact it has on shaping our world. Whether you're here to discover a new favorite book, connect with local and national authors, or simply be part of a vibrant literary community, we invite everyone to join us.

The festival is free, but participants are asked to register to guarantee their space. A boxed lunch is available for advance purchase of $15 by February 21. Festival registration will be available at the event, but lunches cannot be purchased after the deadline or at the event.

In addition, festival organizers will bestow an annual award in honor of the late Carridder “Rita” M. Jones, a Louisville author, playwright, and historian, who was instrumental in founding the Kentucky Women’s Book Festival. Her vision was a book festival that would foster a deeper interest in established Kentucky women authors, while also encouraging beginning writers to continue their work and strive to grow. We’re excited to announce that the recipient of the 2025 Carridder Jones Literary Excellence Award is Julie Marie Wade who will also be presenting at the festival.

Note: The deadline to register online and purchase a boxed lunch is February 21. Box lunch comes with mayonnaise, mustard, individual bag of chips and a cookie. After the February 21 deadline, individuals can register on-site at the event. Box lunches will not be able to be purchased after February 21. 

 The purpose of the book festival is to bring together Kentucky women and femme writers and their readers to meet, discuss, and share their love and appreciation of the written word. This event is open to all to ALL identities to participate. We encourage students, faculty, staff and the community to participate and engage!

Goals

  • Showcase and highlight the outstanding accomplishments of women and femme writers in and from the Kentucky area
  • Expand the readership of women’s works and encourage those engaged in creative writing in alignment with the University of Louisville Women’s Center mission.
  • Inspire a rising generation of readers and writers as an extension of UofL’s community-wide focus on literacy

University of Louisville Women’s Center Mission

The Women’s Center is committed to challenging and working to dismantle patriarchy, and other systems of oppression through collectively building a gender-equitable campus and greater community.

Applying an intersectional and anti-racist feminist framework, we aim to enhance a sense of belonging and empowerment among women, femmes and gender non-conforming students, staff, and faculty.

The Women’s Center is a place where ALL are welcomed to engage in achieving gender-equity and social justice. In this spirit, we are committed to advocacy, education, empowerment, and action.

The Women’s Center hosts this event as part of the University’s observance of Women’s History Month.

The Kentucky Women's Book Festival 2025 is sponsored by the Women's Center and UofL Libraries.

 

 


2006 - Present

Carridder “Rita” M. Jones was instrumental in founding the Kentucky Women’s Book Festival with the support of the U of L Women’s Center. She was a Louisville author, playwright and historian.  She was also an employee of the Human Resources Department. Her vision was a book festival for and about Kentucky women writers.  The mission is to foster a deeper interest in established Kentucky women authors, while also encouraging beginning writers to continue their work and strive to grow. While some Kentucky festivals feature women authors and others feature Kentucky authors, this festival aims to give voice to Kentucky women authors. Above all, the festival’s founder envisioned diversity--in all its forms—as central to the festival.

 Using Rita Jones’ mission as a guide, the festival organizers’ working definition of “Kentucky women authors” includes women authors living in Kentucky now, and/or those who grew up in Kentucky, and/or those who lived in Kentucky in the past. The 1st Book Festival was held at Spalding University in 2006 and featured novelist bell hooks.  The next year, the festival was held on the University of Louisville campus where it has been since then. There have been numerous authors, playwrights and others with a myriad of genres who have been a part of the festival as opening and keynote speakers; panelists, etc. The festival has been supported by hundreds of university and community individuals in-person and virtually.

2026 will be the 20th Anniversary of the Kentucky Women’s Book Festival.